[비즈한국] It has been confirmed that KakaoBank323410 has recently restructured its organization, transitioning from a single AI Group Head to a dual, co-head system. KakaoBank explained that this move is aimed at strengthening its AI competitiveness. With AI becoming a major topic across all industries, attention is focused on whether KakaoBank can leverage its strengths as an internet-only bank to showcase AI innovation.
In a recent executive reshuffle, KakaoBank appointed Ahn Hyun-chul, Head of the AI Office, and Lee Hyung-joo, Head of the Business Strategy Group, as the new co-heads of the AI Group. The former AI Group Head, Ko Jung-hee, recently moved to become the CEO of Kakao Entertainment. Consequently, the AI Group leadership has shifted from a one-person to a two-person system.
Although the KakaoBank AI Group now has co-heads, their roles are clearly delineated. Group Head Ahn Hyun-chul is responsible for technology development, operations, and research, while Group Head Lee Hyung-joo manages all other responsibilities. Ahn Hyun-chul began his career in 1997 at Daum, the predecessor to Kakao. He joined KakaoBank in 2016, serving as Team Leader of Technology Planning, Head of IC Technology, and Head of the AI Office. Lee Hyung-joo worked at Korea Ratings, SoftBank N Platform, and Korea Investment Holdings before moving to KakaoBank in 2016. At KakaoBank, he has served as Head of the Product Part, Chief Business Officer (CBO), and Head of the Business Strategy Group.
This organizational change at KakaoBank is interpreted as an effort to reinforce its AI capabilities. KakaoBank has shown significant interest in AI for several years. Last year, the bank introduced various conversational AI services such as 'AI Search,' 'AI Financial Calculator,' 'AI Transfer,' and 'AI Meeting Treasurer.' According to KakaoBank, the cumulative number of users for its conversational AI services surpassed 3 million as of February this year.
On February 23, KakaoBank also launched an 'AI Invitation' feature. It is a service where users input meeting information in a single sentence, and the AI automatically generates the date, time, location, meeting name, introduction, and image. KakaoBank stated, "Following the 'AI Meeting Treasurer' launched last year, we have introduced invitation functions to continuously strengthen AI-based convenience features for our gathering accounts," adding, "We will continue to apply AI to various financial products to provide a differentiated financial experience."
Recently, companies across all domestic sectors have been attempting to integrate AI, and the banking industry is no exception. In particular, as KakaoBank is an internet-only bank and its parent company, Kakao, is a leading domestic IT firm, there are high expectations for AI-related innovation. KakaoBank's atmosphere is positive, with net profit rising by 9.14% from 440.1 billion KRW in 2024 to 480.3 billion KRW in 2025. In a report last October, Park Hye-jin, a researcher at Daishin Securities, evaluated KakaoBank by stating, "It is clear that the company has secured an advantage as both a bank and a platform over the past five years."
A KakaoBank representative remarked, "This organizational restructuring is an extension of the AI-centered innovation that has been ongoing since last year," adding, "Based on our accumulated experience, we will strive to further strengthen the integration with AI and enhance efficiency across our core businesses to provide an overwhelming financial experience that goes beyond mere technological superiority."